Mercedes AMG F1 W04

[tony77g]

FRIC MERCEDES: Oil used in this article :
http://www.f1sport.it/2013/04/14/f1-lol ... tema-fric/

[stefan_]

China 2013 - Sunday (14.04.2013)

[Dreameagl]

China 2013 - Sunday (14.04.2013)

http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/enlarge/1 ... 4ap898.jpg

So what is this cover covering? Maybe a piping connection to blow the beam wing or is it just the hydraulic connection for the DRS?

[Huntresa]

China 2013 - Sunday (14.04.2013)

http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/enlarge/1 ... 4ap898.jpg

So what is this cover covering? Maybe a piping connection to blow the beam wing or is it just the hydraulic connection for the DRS?

What cover?

[Joie de vivre]

he's reffering to the cover on rw endplate

[stefan_]

China 2013 - Sunday (14.04.2013)

http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/enlarge/1 ... 4ap898.jpg

So what is this cover covering? Maybe a piping connection to blow the beam wing or is it just the hydraulic connection for the DRS?

Yep.

[OppositeLock]

Hamilton has produced very consistent results with the W04. It seems to be a very flexible car depending on the set up. It has been the quickest car in certain sectors. Sometimes it has the best top speed and sometimes it is in the pack. I don't know whether mechanical grip is the strength of the W04 or the aerodynamics. I hope there are tracks that will play to the W04's strength.

[Cocles]

I hope there are tracks that will play to the W04's strength.

I'm looking very forward to Monaco.

[Shakeman]

Can anyone venture an informed guess how the Merc is using the tyres differently to Ferrari and Lotus?

The Ferrari seems to get their tyres working right from the start and maintain pace by comparison Merc takes it's time to get the tyres warm and then they're finished sooner than both Ferrari and Lots.

I'm really looking for a sense of what the difference is due to, e.g. is it just a few degrees difference in suspension geometry or a few degrees in tyre temperature difference?

I count myself as technically interested fan but I'm finding the whole tyre issue just "blackmagic" and not particularly enthralling part of the current F1. I found it more interesting as a fan to see cars bristling with aero advances cuz at least they were visible the tyre situation is leaving me rather...meh.

[Tim.Wright]

I count myself as technically interested fan but I'm finding the whole tyre issue just "blackmagic" ...

If it makes you feel better, tyres, along with dampers, are black magic also to the people who manufacture them

[Gridlock]

For the benefit of those who weren't in the W03 speculation thread, mercury isn't allowed

[Unc1e_M0nty]

The Ferrari seems to get their tyres working right from the start and maintain pace by comparison Merc takes it's time to get the tyres warm and then they're finished sooner than both Ferrari and Lots.

I think the Merc warms their tyres quicker than most hence the good single lap pace & qually record they have so far, then in the long run this causes higher degradation than say Ferrari & Lotus.

I think its more than just suspension geometry too, this can be adjusted and tuned to suit the track but it doesn't solve the problem, its complex or the likes of Merc & Red bull would have fixed it by now, I think its a combination of the chassis, overall balance and design philosophy of the car.

[PlatinumZealot]

Hello all, Mercedes on pole in china is a good sign they have found pace; out qualifying the next car by nearly a quarter second. But the race pace was not sustainable. Great but not sustainable. I think the true race pace was only on show st one point the race when ham was catching Kimi. balance problems due to unexpected drop in track temps and rubber clogging the front wings sort of suppressed the pace improvements we should have seen.The rubber fragments lodging themselfves between the gaps in the fw is just going to be a part of life with these pirellies so hopefully merc find a way to prevent this. Let us not even mention that a 5 element wing is more vulnerable to blockage. This is one the reasons why teams are tending to remove or reduce the inboard cascades on the fw. Hopefully a few sprays of non stick grease is all that's needed for Bahrain.

[dren]

Tire wise, Hamilton stuck it out wiht Kimi for most of the race. He lost a little when he chased Alonso. If he would have backed off to save the tires a bit, he might have finished ahead of Kimi. The car was also likely under fueled a little.

The one lap pace was certainly there. The car is quick. They just need to find a bit better balance in the race. The car is working well on just about all types of tires. Several of the other cars work well on one but lose out on the other. Like Brawn said, they will know if they have a genuinely good car if they finish well this weekend.

I still see a lot of area for aero development. The back of the car is still relatively bare comnpared to the Redbull and Ferrari. Perhaps they are still sorting out the bits on the interior. They are fine tuning the new front wing. Simple seems to be working for them.

[Phil]

I think its more than just suspension geometry too, this can be adjusted and tuned to suit the track but it doesn't solve the problem, its complex or the likes of Merc & Red bull would have fixed it by now, I think its a combination of the chassis, overall balance and design philosophy of the car.

Maybe my lack of knowledge is simplifying the matter a bit too much, but theoretically, isn't it also a bit down to set-up? I.e. Compromize qualifying (one-lap pace) for a better life durability? Lotus and Mercedes seemed to be very close in this race - one lap pace going to Mercedes and race pace to Lotus.

I wonder if this picture will persist in future races where qualifying and race are in dry conditions and where not necessarely the pole guy has the strongest pace during the race. Just a thought...